Preparing students for the workplace

Tiffany Elbert (Finance ’15) likes to tell the interns she comes across that she was in their position, too. She sat in the same seat as them as a wide-eyed student, ready to learn.

Participation in internships and other professional workplace assignments play a critical role in bridging classroom learning with real-world, hands-on experiences. Over 90% of UNI students are involved in their profession prior to graduation. In addition to preparing students for success, these experiences also create a career pipeline for students across the state.

UNI works with employers across the state, including Kossuth/Palo Alto County Economic Development Corporation. The Kossuth/Palo Alto County Economic Development Corporation Internship Program has created and utilized their program to bring in more than 200 interns to work in the area full time. One of these former interns, UNI graduate Tiffany Elbert (finance '15), now works in the area and serves on the internship committee preparing the summer agenda for interns in the Kossuth/Palo Alto County-area.

“Since I've done both sides of it, I can really relate, and I can tell our students how it was for me,” said Elbert, who now works full time at Iowa Trust and Savings Bank in Emmetsburg as a loan credit analyst. “It’s great knowing that we can get more kids coming back here because it really is a great community.”